Advice for New Writers

Articles in This Category

• Evernote may win as best NaNoWriMo writing tool available: Evernote helps you capture thoughts almost instantly and write quickly.
• Tips for fiction writers, plus some free writing resources: Read about valuable courses, writing resources for fiction writers.
• Old advice, but still good advice: To be a writer, you must write: I realize the title of this article is completely simplistic. It’s the sort of “Zen like” simplicity, I think, that we all must face every day of our lives if [...]
• Have some fun with your writing doing useful ‘warm-ups’: You can have some fun with your writing and stimulate those “creative juices” for the day by doing some useful “warm-ups” to get the words flowing. One of the most [...]
• Wanna write? Then pull out that keyboard and hit it hard every day: The single most important tip I have for writers, whether you’re new to writing or you’re a wily veteran, is simply this: Sit down at that keyboard every day and [...]
• Do you write ‘full-time,’ or do you also have a ‘day job’?: Do you write full-time for a living or do you also have to rely on some sort of “day job”? I am fortunate enough at this point in my life [...]
• Affiliate marketing and domain names for your website: I’m not sure why my thinking is on affiliate marketing so much more than on writing these days, but that’s just the way my mind is working. We’ve been going [...]
• How do you approach paid writing assignments?: When I first started making a substantial part of my income by writing, I did a lot of assigned writing for a religious publishing house. (My long ago undergraduate degree [...]
• Take advantage of free online storage, file sync: If you’ve never done such a thing before, let me encourage you to take advantage of a free online storage and file synchronization service. The company that link goes to [...]
• Writing for new media — be flexible, try new things: I confess I’m an “old-timer” when it comes to writing. The writing I enjoy most is putting words on paper with a pen or even a pencil. If I were [...]
• Internet writers only get read if they draw site visitors: Call this advice for new online writers or simply basic review of the obvious: Internet writers only get read if they find ways to draw visitors to their websites. You [...]
• Writing and ‘artificial stimulants’ in general — just coffee, thanks: I’m not exactly sure why my mind turned to this subject, but here we are. As a writer, do you rely on any “artificial stimulants” when you do your work? [...]
• Should you start that BIG writing project? Why not?: My wife and I had a long talk over the weekend (or earlier this week, maybe?) about our future. I’ll say up front, we are both in our early-to-mid-60s, not [...]
• Beware of jargon in your writing; use only as needed: It’s been awhile since I’ve mentioned “jargon,” so I thought it about time to put together a brief reminder: Avoid using jargon in your writing, except when it’s necessary. “Jargon” [...]
• Have I mentioned ‘The Keyword Academy’ for making money writing online?: It occurs to me that I may never have mentioned The Keyword Academy to my faithful followers here as a terrific site to learn about making money by writing website [...]
• Do you write ‘how-tos’? Exactly how do you do them?: If you want to find lots of online writing opportunities, I recommend you look for sites that publish lots of “how-to” articles, then contact them and ask whether they accept [...]
• How do you write about something when research fails? Fake it? Maybe: How do you write about something when you can’t figure out how to do the research, or you simply cannot find information you need? If you’re writing non-fiction, you could [...]
• Turning your writing passion into online earnings takes time: I am absolutely amazed at some of the people I’ve met at a membership forum I joined a few months ago. I’m talking about people who are able to write [...]
• Write with passion about things you love: With the new year rapidly approaching, I thought I’d take an opportunity to share one truly serious “rule” you ought to live by as a writer. There are a world [...]
• What do water filters, air filters have to do with organizing your story?: What do water filters and air filters have to do with the way your organize your writing? No, that’s not some really strange puzzle or trick question, exactly, but a [...]
• Fiction writers must stay on top of changing technology: If you hope to capture an audience and/or get your fiction published, you must work hard to stay on top of changing technology. I’m not talking about something as simple [...]
• With apologies to Freud — make sure you know your cigars: I’m sure you’ve heard that famous quote attributed to Sigmund Freud, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” I don’t know the context of the quote, in fact I’ve seen [...]
• Do you include photos, graphics in your writing?: Do you include photos or graphics in your writing? I come from a non-graphic, non-photography background, so much of my writing in the past, and my blogging in the present, [...]
• Beware of anachronisms and careful about literary license to preserve accuracy in your writing: In previous posts I’ve encouraged those of you who write fiction to remember your creative edge: If you don’t know something, you have the liberty of making it up. I [...]
• Great movie, example of period authenticity: I just saw a great movie that was a perfect example of conveying a time in history authentically. (I confess that I am about a year to a year-and-a-half behind [...]
• Stephen King fan or not, you really need to read his ‘On Writing’: Five or six years ago, Stephen King came out with a combination memoir/instruction book he titled “On Writing.” If you haven’t read it yet, you really should. I also would [...]
• This sometimes works for me when I’m stuck about what to write next: When your plot bogs down and your characters have started to ignore you and you have nothing in particular to write for the middle of that story, you might try [...]
• Today’s writing demands a good sense of graphics, design: I made another change to the “theme,” or template for this site a few weeks ago, and I don’t really like the way it looks all that much. I’ll probably [...]
• My Number One cure for writer’s block — guaranteed to work every time: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This may be the very last “recovered” or “re-run” post I make on this blog. After one more serious search through my hard drive, I found one more [...]
• More copywriting fundamentals: Focus on benefits: I know you’ve heard this a lot and I’ve said it before here myself: When you’re writing sales copy, forget about “features” and focus on “benefits.” This sounds really simple, [...]
• ‘Beware the Jabberwock’ — or, avoid using jargon in your writing: When I was in high school, my best buddy and I found Lewis Carroll’s poem about the Jabberwock absolutely hilarious. We would often pass each other in the halls, or [...]
• Anne Lamott’s ‘Bird by Bird’ is one book every writer needs to own: How do you tackle large writing projects? Obviously, the answer would be word-by-word and sentence-by-sentence. How do you tackle that large writing project if it’s something really tedious that has [...]
• Do you write best when there’s music, noise, or just silence?: How many of you out there have iPods or something similar and listen to music (or even watch videos?) while you write? Do you prefer some other sort of noise [...]
• What’s your writing business worth? How do you put numbers on the value of your writing?: How do you know what your blog or website is worth? How do you value your entire writing “business”? Have you ever thought about putting a price tag on your [...]
• How do you create your fictional characters? Here’s one approach: Which do you enjoy most, fiction with quiet, calm characters or fiction with swashbucklers and quirky rogues? Be honest about your answer now. No hedging, no hum-hawing around. Yeah, that’s [...]
• Get serious about what you write and do everything you can to be read: One of the most interesting things to me as a professional writer is that comment many folks make which goes something like this: “Oh, I’m a writer of course, but [...]
• Tip: Blog about what you love, even if you don’t ‘know’ much about it: My remarks about blogging today may sound a little like the old line, “Just fake it ’til you get it right” — but that’s not really what I mean when [...]
• If you’re like me, then you’ve seen too much of then and not enough use of than: It amazes me the number of truly literate writers who use the word “then,” when they really meant to use the word “than.” You know what I’m talking about: “I [...]
• Rewriting can be a thing of joy and beauty, or … you can make it feel that way: If you think about it, the best part about writing is the joy of rewriting. Oh, I know rewriting can be very hard. As hard as it might be to [...]
• Heads-up for new bloggers: Beware of ‘MFA’ approach: I’m sure most bloggers already know the fundamental warning about “MFA” sites — beware of turning your blog into one. For those of you who don’t know the acronym, an [...]
• Personal note: Time to get serious about writing goals: This is sort of a personal note, based on a milestone in my life this last week. I was reminded again that it’s time to quit procrastinating and get more [...]
• If only it were up to me! I’d banish exclamation marks!!: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This post is sort of a “golden oldie,” since I originally posted it in March 2007. It was among the posts I lost with The Crash in December [...]
• Do you let fear of failure hinder your writing? Writers must be courageous: If you’re like me, there are times when you probably let your fear of failure hinder your writing. But, perhaps you aren’t at all like me, and fear of failure [...]
• What’s your favorite holiday story? Have you written anything for the holidays?: What are you reading and writing for the holidays? Do you have a favorite Christmas story? I suppose my all-time favorites for Christmas are Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” the old [...]
• Getting to the basics: Were you ever taught how to write ‘clear, logical prose’?: EDITOR’S NOTE: I have recovered this post following a website “Crash.” The original brought two or three comments from readers who agreed that the teaching grammar and fundamental English writing [...]
• Never put off till tomorrow what you can write today: Deadlines can be useful as they focus our intensity and motivate us to do our best work. Or, deadlines can be treacherous if we ignore them and suddenly find us [...]
• Where do you find your writing ideas?: No matter what you write about, at some point you’ve probably been asked by someone, “Where do you find your writing ideas?” I’ve read and heard interviews with best-selling authors [...]
• My best advice the next time a ‘guru’ offers you a deal on sure-fire riches: If you’ve been online long and interested in making money online, you know what I’m talking about in this post: the “guru-of-the-week” syndrome. I’m talking about those emails that flood [...]
• For most, writing less is always harder than writing more: When I was a young lad starting my writing career, it always puzzled me when authors suggested beginning writers would be better off trying a novel than a short story. [...]
• Here it is, my number one ‘must have-must read’ book for writers: Know what I would recommend if I could only recommend one book for beginning writers? Or, only one book for ALL writers, for that matter? (Caveat: I write only in [...]
• More musings on career choices for all you writers out there …: I’ve mused in the past about various opportunities and changing options for all you writers/writer wannabes out there, including me. Here’s a little more musing on some career choices for [...]
• The word for today is ‘verisimilitude’ — really, it is: In a post last week (I think it was last week), I made the point that writing fiction gives you sort of a license to lie. Not that we need [...]
• He doesn’t claim to be a ‘guru,’ but you really need Paul Myers’ free newsletter: I don’t know if this guy’s considered in that rarefied group deemed to be “gurus” or not, but I’ll guarantee you his free newsletter is absolutely worth gold to anyone [...]
• Exciting to see many writing, publishing options available online: Back in those stirring days of yesteryear, opportunities for a writer to be published were much slimmer than they are today. It’s exciting to see how many types of writing [...]
• Two important tips for new writers: I’ve written here before about “tips” or suggestions for new writers. I thought of two very important tips you need to be aware of if you want to succeed as [...]
• For beginners: Never relay one your spill checker: Get it? Get it?? I hope you know that headline was a bit of sarcasm I threw into print to make a point. You do see my point, don’t you? [...]
• Here’s my best tip to help you write fiction: One of my favorite writers is a mystery writer named Larry Block, or Lawrence Block in some of his books. Although he probably wouldn’t remember me from the half-dozen times [...]
• Publishing technology changes everything for writers: The various developments in publishing technology has changed just about everything for freelance writers. In a world where consumers would rather enjoy everything from home theater seating to very wide [...]
• This is for all you ‘Well-Fed’ writers out there — take a look: This post is for all you “Well-Fed” writers out there — and I hope you’ll take a good look at “The Well-Fed Writer” website I just linked to in this [...]
• Why is it so hard for people to understand affiliate marketing?: Why is it so hard for people to understand affiliate marketing? By “people” in that sentence, I mean affiliate marketers, merchants, and shoppers — pretty much the whole range of [...]
• What ‘day jobs’ produce the best conditions for writers?: Have you ever thought about what “day jobs,” i.e., full-time work and/or careers, produce the best conditions for writers? If you look at best-selling fiction writers, you’ll easily see that [...]
• Always fascinating — why do we give words so much power over us?: I’ve always this fascinating — why do we give words so much power over us? Why do we feel some words are emotionally charged, or embarrassing, or even taboo? Words, [...]
• More on copywriting — here’s an easy bonus to increase sales: I posted recently inviting copywriters to share some of their best tips. So far, I’ve gotten no responses, but, hey, never give up. Another question for you copywriters — what [...]
• What’s your best tip for fledgling copywriters out there?: Whether you’re writing about custom wheel covers, collectible silver spoons, or patio furniture covers, what is your best tip for those who find themselves needing to do their own copywriting? [...]
• Fiction writers: For me, characters always come before plots: My answer to the question I posed for fiction writers reading this: For me, characters always come before plots. I’ve got very successful writer friends who see this a bit [...]
• If only there were a barcode scanner add-on for spell check: Yeah, I know. The title of this post is sort of silly — because there is no such thing as a barcode scanner for spell checking software. I’m not even [...]
• English grammar — help or hinderance to a writing career?: Many, MANY (too many) years ago, I had an “advanced English” course in my senior year of high school. I put quotes around “advanced English” because that was the formal [...]
• Today’s writer must be flexible as well as passionate: Writers who wish to succeed in today’s economy must be writers who are flexible and willing to try a variety of things to profit from their skills. They must also [...]
• Enjoy this clip of an interview with writer John Grisham: I saw this interview with John Grisham on “Today” yesterday and I thought you’d enjoy a look yourself. There were some interesting things about Grisham’s writing and his creative process. [...]
• More ramblings about the Internet and journalism: I wrote last week lamenting the sorry state of journalism, and of print journalism in particular. In that post, I suggested that the Internet and widespread cable/satellite television were the [...]
• Affiliate marketing writing exercise for you today …: You cannot make money in affiliate marketing unless you can 1) write, or, 2) hire others to write for you. One reason you see so much discussion on this site [...]
• Writers doing ‘journalism’ these days struggle to find jobs: When I worked at a daily newspaper many years ago as a copy editor, we used to make fun of “broadcast journalism” — speaking just that way about the matter, [...]
• As writers, we are free to specialize or write all things for all markets: Did you know there were such specialists as motorcycle accident attorneys? How about Internet and IT attorneys? Or lawyers who specialize in travel and tourism law? I guess if I [...]
• Two basic online tools every writer needs to utilize: As I thought about my first post of the new year, I thought I’d make mention of two basic online tools every writer needs to utilize. This may not be [...]
• Writers need to network — remembering a surprise connection: I had an interesting, almost-useful experience in “networking” back when the Internet was very young and when networking had little or nothing to do with computers and more to do [...]
• Do ‘real’ writers drink espresso? Do you?: Okay, obviously that was just to get your attention. I’m sure “real” writers and writers of all sorts do indeed drink espresso. (Some of them — not ME! — probably [...]
• Use eyewitness testimony, testimonials to capture reader interest: Do you write any crime fiction? Police procedurals or courtroom fiction? If so, you realize the importance — and the fun, really — that you can have including eyewitness testimony. [...]
• Newest Squidoo lens looks at ‘Idiotic mistakes in English grammar, usage’: Here’s my newest writing lens at Squidoo.com, “Idiotic mistakes in English grammar, usage.” Several of the “rants” or “pet peeves” which I discuss in that lens are matters we’ve discussed [...]
• Let me recommend another Squidoo lens for writers …: Okay, I’ve got to pass this Squidoo lens along for your consideration: “Online freelance writing jobs.” I ran onto that particular lens and several more by Allison Whitehead just this [...]
• Writing demands that you sell yourself by showing ‘benefits’: Does the distinction I tried to make in my earlier post between marketing diet pills and fat burners really apply to writing fiction? You bet it does. The “what’s in [...]
• Targeting ‘benefits’ instead of features when you write ad copy: If you’ve done much copywriting, or really any copywriting at all, you’ve undoubtedly heard an expression something like, “Write about benefits, not features.” What does that mean? How do you [...]
• Explaining more about the misuse of keywords on your website: There are so many ways people have tried to cheat to get paying traffic from the major Internet search engines that I want to make some of this clear. If [...]
• Importance of ‘branding’ to sustain your writing career: I know some of you have been far more successful at freelance writing than I, and I suspect an important part of your ongoing success has to do with the [...]
• Advice for new writers: Never forget the power of written words: Certainly the first “writers” were storytellers who “spoke” their stories. From there, written language developed, and practically since the very birth of writing we have had ad copy writers around, [...]
• Don’t ignore seasonal writing opportunities, seasonal deadlines: I’m reminded of that Bible passage in Ecclesiastes: “To everything there is a season.” One of the basic facts of writing, whether online or offline, is that readers enjoy seasonal [...]
• Just between you and me: multi-tasking gets harder with age: There was a time when I could work out on one of those fancy NordicTrack ellipticals or other exercise equipment, listen to a CD on my walkman (sure, I’m old; [...]
• Never underestimate the power of well-written ad copy: In the “real” world, there would be absolutely no market for diet pills. In the “real” world, losing weight simply means eating less food and getting more exercise. Of course, [...]
• Good research, careful observation may uncover surprising story ideas: Here’s an important lesson for beginning writers: Keep your eyes open, do your research, and you never know when something useful will pop up for your writing. A few months [...]
• More about deadlines: Don’t panic, just get to work one task at a time: A deadline is only daunting if you 1) ignore it hoping it’ll somehow go away, or, 2) procrastinate. Well, sure, some deadlines are harder than others, because they may seem [...]
• All writers need deadlines to give focus to their work: Some years ago I worked at a job that required meeting two daily deadlines. It was a newspaper. Between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. I had to [...]
• Writing seasonal stories? Deadlines make this whatever season you need it to be: When I look out the windows on a snowy street scene in mid- to late-December, I find it easy to think and write about Christmas. I’m sure you do, too. [...]
• ‘Speed writing’ may be the tip you need if you’re fighting writer’s block: Here’s another of those simple, basic writing tips you may already know — or you may be overlooking. I hope it’s helpful. In a word: Speed writing. Okay, I cheated. [...]
• Number one rule for dealing with issues related to writing style — consistency: My wife, Shirley, is a professional proofreader with about 20-25 years experience in professional proofreading. I’m emphasizing “professional” here because I want you to appreciate her expertise. She spent about [...]
• Remember that copywriting ‘assignment’? Here’s what I would do …: One day last week I posted a suggestion for those of you who are copywriters or copywriter “wannabes” to tell me what approach you would take if you were asked [...]
• I’ve never paid much attention to ‘ergonomics,’ but I do now: My manly “machismo” probably is driving this statement: Worrying about how and where I sit while writing on my computer has always seemed silly to me. “Real men” (and “real [...]
• Basic principle: The only ‘shortcut’ to writing success is to write more: Not to be nagging about this, but what I’ve said before I’ll say again — if you want to be a successful writer there is no substitute for writing, writing [...]
• Is it a simile or is it a metaphor? Who remembers how to tell?: That last post I made about the expression “put your [fill in the blank] on steroids” prompted a discussion with my wife, Shirley, about whether that is a simile or [...]
• As a writer, what do you prefer — laptop or desktop, or do you have both?: There was a time when buying a laptop computer was only a dream or a some-day-when-I-succeed goal for writers. Those of you new to the business will have to trust [...]
• Back to the basics again: Get organized, schedule your time and writing wisely: In a recent post, we discussed the importance of organization and scheduling your writing efforts. I came up with a revolutionary way that works for me. It’s called a pocket [...]
• Writers’ personality issues — booze, tobacco, drugs, and creativity: There’s a nasty stereotype of writers hunched over their keyboards in a smoke-filled room, planted firmly in “The Zone,” creating tons of material in marathon writing sessions alleviated only by [...]
• If you write ad copy, you must learn the importance of ‘pre-selling’: Writing ad copy often involves “pre-selling” rather than selling a product. Pre-selling means prompting the person your ad is aimed at to take additional action: You get them to make [...]
• Learning how to schedule your time as a writer — daily deadlines: Everyone reading this who has NOT mastered the techniques of scheduling, daily “to-do” lists, time management, etc., RAISE YOUR HANDS HIGH. Yeah, that’s my chubby little paw sticking up right [...]
• Is it possible that I’m the last person alive to hear of this best-selling author?: I hope that title caught your attention. I just discovered a wonderful writer. It happened last week when I was browsing around the “New Fiction” section at the nearest branch [...]
• What’s your ‘fog index’ — and how does that matter in your writing?: I haven’t heard or used the term “fog index” in a number of years. I don’t know whether editors, writing coaches, teachers, or others use the feature anymore or not. [...]
• Guest post by Suzanne Lieurance: ‘ “Show Don’t Tell” — What Does That Really Mean?’: Let’s hear a round of applause out there, good readers, to welcome our guest writer for today — Suzanne Lieurance. Suzanne commented on a recent post here regarding deadlines and [...]
• Formerly striking writers learning again the joys of deadlines: I’m sure all of the Hollywood and television writers are happy their strike ended and they’re able to get back to work. I’m equally sure many of them continued to [...]
• Writing for the Internet is indeed a fragile proposition: Two things happened over the weekend that illustrate the ups and downs of freelance fortunes — especially if your freelance writing involves doing much business on the Internet. First, I [...]
• Non-writing techniques to help you find and develop story ideas: Do you draw? Do you have a talent for sketching? Or are you like me and have problems getting stick people to even look like stick people? A great technique [...]
• Are you a researcher or a writer? Or are you both?: Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, chances are you have to do at least a little bit of research. Is research something you enjoy doing? Where do you do most [...]
• More about accuracy in writing: What color were Hitler’s eyes?: Do you know off the top of your head — what color were Adolph Hitler’s eyes? I ask because, until a few years ago, I didn’t know either. The answer [...]